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This ultra-moist, easy Lemon Sheet Cake is a lemon lover’s dream come true! It’s packed with fresh, bright lemon flavor, has a soft, buttery crumb, and is topped with luscious lemon cream cheese frosting. It’s an award-winning crowd favorite that everybody loves!
For more sheet cake recipes, make my red velvet sheet cake and Texas chocolate cake with buttermilk.
This moist lemon sheet cake recipe is the perfect dessert. Ever since my lemon layer cake recipe went viral, I’ve wanted to create an easier 9×13 lemon cake with the same bright flavor but without all the work of stacking and decorating layers.
I took this cake to a county baking competition, and it won first place! So, you already know this lemon sheet cake is the real deal!
Table of contents
After testing the recipe several ways in my own kitchen, I landed on a version that’s simple enough for everyday baking but still feels special enough to feed a crowd on birthdays, cookouts, and celebrations. This homemade lemon cake absolutely deserves its own spotlight—and trust me, it delivers every time! 🍋
Recipe Highlights
- Bakery-style results at home: I’m giving you all of my tips and tricks on how to get a soft, plush crumb. Using cake flour and my plastic wrap trick traps in a little steam as the cake cools, helping it stay extra moist and tender (more on this later 😏).
- Easy and straightforward: The batter comes together with simple steps, and everything bakes in one 9×13-inch pan. There’s no stacking, filling, or decorating multiple cake layers.
- Perfect for feeding a crowd: This cake is easy to slice, serve, and transport, making it a great dessert for birthdays, cookouts, holidays, potlucks, and celebrations.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
(full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card)
- Cake Flour is key to this recipe! Its lower protein content gives the cake a soft, plush texture. I tested this cake with both cake flour and all-purpose flour. Both worked, but cake flour gave the finished cake a noticeably lighter, more delicate crumb.
- Lemon zest gives the cake its true, fresh lemon flavor. Rubbing it into the sugar releases its fragrant oils and distributes that citrus flavor throughout the batter.
- Lemon Emulsion is my secret ingredient! It adds that true lemon flavor without tasting artificial. Lemon extract can be substituted in the same amount, although I prefer the fuller flavor of emulsion.
- Whole Milk adds moisture while still making the cake light and soft. I wanted to use whole milk because it’s something everyone likely already has, whereas buttermilk can be difficult to source.
- Fresh lemon juice does more than add bright, tangy lemon flavor. Its acidity helps limit gluten development, contributing to a softer, more tender crumb.
- Salted butter and vegetable oil provide the best balance of flavor and lasting moisture. During recipe testing, I found that using only butter gave the cake great flavor but caused it to dry out faster. Combining butter + vegetable oil produced the softest crumb and kept the cake moist for days. 😋
- Cream Cheese for the frosting – we’re only using half of a brick for this recipe. A full 8-ounce block of cream cheese made the frosting softer than I wanted. Using 4oz added just enough tang while keeping the frosting fluffy and stable. This is not a lemon Texas sheet cake, we want a thick layer of lemony frosting in every bite! Save leftover cream cheese to make my lemon cheesecake next!
How To Make Lemon Sheet Cake From Scratch
Prep: Line the pan and mix dry ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350°F, then grease and flour a 9×13-inch baking pan. Line the bottom and sides with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together the cake flour, baking powder, and kosher salt.
Make the lemon sugar. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer for about 3 minutes, until fragrant and the sugar takes on a pale yellow color.
Prepare the cake batter. Add the butter and vegetable oil to the lemon sugar and fit with the paddle attachment. Mix until light and creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the fresh lemon juice, lemon emulsion, vanilla extract, and almond extract.
Bake the lemon sheet cake. Alternate adding the flour mixture and whole milk, mixing just until the batter is smooth. Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and bake for 42–48 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let the cake cool in the pan for 20-25 minutes, then turn over onto a parchment lined wire rack (this prevents the cake from sticking to the rack). Cover with plastic wrap. Allow it to cool completely.
Make the lemon cream cheese frosting. Beat the butter and powdered sugar until smooth and fluffy, then mix in the lemon juice and lemon emulsion. Gradually add the cream cheese and beat just until the frosting is creamy, then spread it over the cooled lemon cake.
Pro Baking Tips
- Zest the lemons before juicing them, and avoid the bitter white pith beneath the yellow skin.
- Use room temperature ingredients. This helps the ingredients blend evenly and creates a smoother batter with a uniform crumb.
- Avoid over-mixing the batter. Once the flour is added, mix only until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing develops too much gluten and can make the cake firm, chewy, or slightly gummy.
- Cover the cake while it cools. Covering the slightly warm cake traps some steam and helps prevent it from drying out. I do this with
Recipe FAQs
Yes. Bake the cake one day ahead, let it cool completely, and keep it tightly covered. Frost it just before serving for the best texture.
Because the frosting contains cream cheese, store the frosted cake covered in the refrigerator. For the best texture, let individual slices sit at room temperature briefly before serving.
Fresh lemon juice is recommended because it tastes brighter and allows you to use the zest from the same lemons. Bottled juice can work in a pinch, but the finished flavor may not taste as fresh.
More Homemade Lemon Cake Recipes
Desserts
Moist Lemon Cake with Lemon Curd
Desserts
Lemon Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Desserts
Lemon Blackberry Cake
Desserts
Lemon Meringue Cake
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If you make this recipe, please leave a star rating on the recipe card and comment below! You can also tag @BritneyBreaksBread on Instagram and hashtag #britneybreaksbread so I can celebrate your beautiful creations!
Lemon Sheet Cake
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (or electric hand mixer)
- 9×13 baking dish (metal or ceramic)
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups (450 g) Sugar
- 3 tbsp Lemon Zest
- 3/4 cup (168 g) Vegetable Oil
- 1/2 cup (113 g) Salted Butter, (room temperature)
- 4 large (200 g) Eggs, (room temperature)
- 1 1/2 tbsp Lemon Emulsion
- 2 tsp Vanilla Extract
- 1 tsp Almond Extract
- 1/4 cup (60 g) Lemon Juice
- 3 3/4 cups (450 g) Cake Flour, (see notes for all purpose flour substitution)
- 1 tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- 1 1/2 cup (360 g) Whole Milk, (room temperature)
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 cup (227 g) Salted Butter, (room temperature)
- 4 cups (500 g) Powdered Sugar
- 2 tbsp (30 g) Lemon Juice
- 1 tsp Lemon Emulsion
- 4 oz (113 g) Cream Cheese, (room temperature)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour a 9×13 baking pan, tap off any excess flour. You can also line with parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, mix together the dry ingredients – all purpose flour, baking powder, and kosher salt. Set aside. 3 3/4 cups Cake Flour 1 tbsp Baking Powder 1 tsp Kosher Salt
- Add sugar and lemon zest to the bowl of a stand mixer. Rub the lemon zest into the sugar for about 3 minutes, until the sugar takes on a fragrant smell and becomes slightly pale yellow in color. 2 1/4 cups Sugar 3 tbsp Lemon Zest
- Use the leftover zested lemons and cut them in half. Squeeze the lemon juice into a small bowl until you have 1/4 cup (60g). Set aside. 1/4 cup Lemon Juice
- Add butter and vegetable to the lemon sugar mixture. Fit stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix together on medium speed for 5 minutes, scraping down the sides midway through. 3/4 cup Vegetable Oil 1/2 cup Salted Butter
- Reduce mixer speed to low speed, begin adding eggs, one at a time, ensuring each egg is fully incorporated prior to adding the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then add lemon juice, lemon emulsion (or lemon extract), vanilla extract, and almond extract. Continue to mix on low speed until combined, about 30 seconds to 1 minute 4 large Eggs 1/4 cup Lemon Juice 1 1/2 tbsp Lemon Emulsion 2 tsp Vanilla Extract 1 tsp Almond Extract
- Add half of the dry ingredients and continue to mix until the flour is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and pour in the whole milk. Mix until combined, about 10-20 seconds, then add remaining flour mixture and mix until smooth, about 20 seconds. 1 1/2 cup Whole Milk
- Remove the bowl from the stand mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl again just to ensure the batter is fully incorporated and smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth into an even layer and bake for 42-48 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes, then turn over onto a wire rack. Cover with plastic wrap and allow it to cool completely (this traps in steam, keeping the cake nice and moist!).
- While the cake is cooling, make the lemon cream cheese frosting. Add butter to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter for 4 minutes on medium speed, then add 2 cups of powdered sugar. Mix on low for about 30 seconds to get the powdered sugar incorporated, then increase to medium high speed until the smooth. Add remaining powdered sugar, lemon juice, and lemon emulsion and continue to mix until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes. 1 cup Salted Butter 4 cups Powdered Sugar 2 tbsp Lemon Juice 1 tsp Lemon Emulsion
- With the mixer going, add cream cheese slowly, (I like to cut the cream cheese into 4 small pieces and I add one piece at a time until it's fully incorporated and smooth). This should take about 1 minute. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix for another 15-20 seconds. 4 oz Cream Cheese
- Add the frosting on top of the cooled cake and serve. Garnish with additional lemon zest or fresh lemon slices.
Notes
- Cover the cake while it cools. Covering the slightly warm cake traps some steam and helps prevent it from drying out.
- Use room-temperature ingredients. Bring the butter, eggs, milk, and cream cheese to room temperature before mixing. This helps the ingredients blend evenly and creates a smoother batter with a uniform crumb.
- Measure the flour by weight. For the best texture, use a kitchen scale and measure 450g of cake flour. Too much flour can make the lemon sheet cake dry or dense.
- Zest the lemons before juicing them, and avoid the bitter white pith beneath the yellow skin.
- Avoid over-mixing the batter. Once the flour is added, mix only until the ingredients are combined. Overmixing develops too much gluten and can make the cake firm, chewy, or slightly gummy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
